Flexible arch-support.



E. ANDERSON.

FLEXIBLE ARCH SUPPORT.

APPLICATION FILED 111111.18, 1914.

;133,71. Patented 1111113111915.

11111/1111, fl/ll// UNTED STATES PATENT FFCE.

ELOF ANDERSON, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TOl CARL HUG-OANDERSON, OIE LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

FLEXIBLE ARCH-SUPPORT.

Specification of Letters latent. Y

Patented Mar. 30, 1915.

To all 'whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, ELor ANDERSON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State ofCalifornia, have invented a new and useful Flexible Arch-Support, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an arch support adapted to rest on thatportion of the insole of a shoe on which the heel and instep of thewearer is superposed and constitutes means for supporting certain bones,muscles and ligaments of the foot which are liable to become misplacedfrom ill-fitting shoes and from hard usage and from walking on hardpavements and floors, and to prevent the falling of the arch.

An object of the invention is to provide an arch support that willautomatically adjust itself to the right position required to properlysupport the arch.

Another object is to provide a lieXible construction of arch supportthat will not be stubborn so as to distress the foot but will yield agentle but suliicient support for the arch and will not interfere withthose parts of the foot which might be distressed thereby.

Another object is to provide for an arch support, a construction of thecharacter above suggested, which will have great lasting qualities andwill not be liable to squeak, and in this connection the materials ofwhich certain parts of the arch support are constructed are important.

Other objects and advantages may appear from the subjoined detaileddescription.

The invention may be carried out in different ways and is embodied incomplementary pairs of required sizes.

The invention involves the use of certain specific materialsparticularly arranged with relation to each other to secure the desiredresults; but I do not limit the invention to the exact materialsspecified as desirable results may be obtained even though materials areused that are only measurable equivalents of the materials hereinspecified.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention in a preferred form.

Figure 1 is a perspective of a left arch support constructed inaccordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the archsupport shown in Fig. l omitting the major portion of the prime soleleather top,

and showing intact the horsehide glove leather bottom, the nested springleaves and leather spring supports on said bottom and the canvas springretainer partly ripped and turned back from over the spring leaves. Fig.3 is a longitudinal section of an arch support along a line indicated byw3, Fig. 2, showing a spring having three leaves instead of only two asshown in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation from line m4, indicatedin Figs. 2 and 3, looking toward the heel. Fig. 5 is a cross-section ofthe arch support on line indicated by 005, Figs. 2 and 3, lookingforward and showing a spring of three leaves. Fig. 6 is a cross sectionon line Figs. 2 and 3. Fig. 7 is a reduced plan of the arch support in ashoe the upper of which is cut away to expose the insole. Fig. 8 is anend elevation of the spring showing a position said spring may take whenthe pressure of the foot depresses the arch, and also representing theposition the spring will assume under the force of gravity when thespring is detached and simply laid upon the level surface of a table.

Arrows on the section lines indicate the direction of sight at thevarious sections.

The bottom l is made of horsehide glove leather for the reason that itis durable, iexible and soft, is not liable to squeak under friction, orto stretch, is more impervious than other leathers to moisture, and willretain its softness under repeated wettings and dryings. The top 2 ismade of prime oak tanned sole leather for the reason that the same is asuperior material for retaining its shape and its qualities ofsmoothness and Vfirmness under the heat of the foot. These two membersare constructed to conform to the contour of that part of the insoleunder the heel and instep of the wearer; and, in the completed archsupport are firmly secured together at their margins and around acentral cavity 3 by means of cement 4 and stitches 5. The heel rest 6 atthe rear is rounded to conform to the space inside the shoe thataccommodates the heel of the wearer, and in practice the heel of thewearer rests upon said heel rest. The top 2 is( measurably pliable andthe heel rest affords a firm cushion having a closegrained smooth topsurface to support the heel of the wearer.

Leather spring-supports or lifts 7, 7 are spaced apart ypositioned onand Xed to the bottom 1 forwardly of the heel rest portion 6, andrearwardly of the front portion 8 of said bottom. Said lifts are spacedapart to form an open space a between them at the front and rear of theinstep portion 9 of said bottom, and said lifts support the ends of anarched spring which is made up of a plurality of leaf-springs which areof succeedingly shorter length from bottom to top. Any suitable numberof said springs may be applied and in the drawing only two are shown inFigs. 2 and 4, the same being numbered respectively 10 and 11. rlhelower spring member 10 is provided with a point 12 at the front of themidwidth of the front end of said spring and the rear end 13 of saidspring extends obliquely across the axis of said bottom and of' thespring.

The arched spring leaf 11 on top of and nested with the base spring leaf10 is arched to conform to the middle of said base spring leaf 10 and isnested therewith to remain relatively stationary thereon, butsufficiently movable thereon to accommodate the movement due to theflexure of the spring leaves. Said superposed spring leaf 11 providedwith the front middle point 14 and rear oblique terminal 15, and bothspring leaves and the leather supports or lifts for the ends thereof arecovered by a flexible retainer 16 made of canvas or other suitablematerial laid upon the arched springs and the leather end supports forsaid spring, and is secured to the bottom by suitable means as cement 17and stitches 1S. The spring leaves are preferably thin plates of clockspring steel the transverse sections of said leaves being slightlycrowned at the middle of the spring and practically straight at the rearend of the leaf at which end the terminal is diagonal or oblique to saidtransverse traces and to the axis of the spring so that the outer edge19 of the leaf and of the spring is shorter than the inner edge 20thereby to cause the springl to adjust itself aslant downward towardsuch outer edge. rl`his tendency to slant is indicated most clearly inFig. 8, and is more or less effective as the pressure on thel foot onthe arch is greater or less. The spring leaves are separated by arust-preventing lubricating coating 21 which is durable and lasting,being made of pine tar wax or pitch, beeswax and tallow incorporatedwith each other while hot, the same being non-evaporable and not` liablelto fiow out from, between the leaves. Over the parts hereinbeforeenumerated is then applied the top 2' of prime sole` leather secured bythe stitches and cement, the stitches extending all around at the edgesof top and bottom to hold said edges firmly together, and the cementextending all over the inner face of the top 2. j

The hard Smooth prime sole leather is sufficiently flexible at the heelportion to support the heel with great comfort, and the instep portion22 of said top will sufficiently receive the pressure from the inside ofthe foot to automatically adjust the arched support to the proper.position beneath the foot,

the leaf springs giving appropriate form to said top 2 and also to thebottom 1.

The springsupports or lifts 7 7 are preferably pads of the same kind ofmaterial as the bottom 1, but may be madeV of cow-hideV upon the front,points while the rear digonal terminals 13 and 15 ofthe springs tend tofavor tilting of the spring towardthe flat edge of the foot and awayfrom the inside arch of the foot. This enables the arch to conformitself to a comfortable lpositionV relative to the arch, of the footwhenever pressure from the foot is applied thereon.

1. An arch support comprising a bottom of durable soft flexiblevmaterial, durable soft flexible springy supports spaced apart on andfixed to 'said bottom; an arched spring the ends of which rest on saidspring supports; a retainer of soft flexible material over the springand'fixed to the soft flexible durable bottomfaround the edges of thespring; and a hrm solid pliable top fastened at its edges to the edgesof said bottom; the top and bottom inclosing the spring, the springsupports and the retainer between them and being conformed to the shapeof that portion of the insole of a shoe which is under the heel andinstep of the wearer.

2. An arch support comprising a bottom of durable' soft flexiblematerial, durable soft flexible spring supports spaced apart on andfixed to said bottom; an arched spring formed of superposed crownedleaves, the ends of one Vof which rest on said spring supports; aretainer of soft iiexible material over the spring and fixed to the softflexible durable bottomv around the. edges of the spring; and a firmsolid pliable top fastened at its edges tok the edges of said bottom;theV top and bottom inclosing the spring, the spring supports and theretainer between them and being conformed to the shape of that portionof the insole of a shoe which is under the heel and instep of thewearer.

8. The arch support set forth adapted to rest on the inside of a shoeand comprising a horse-hide glove leather bottom substantiallyconforming to the space to be covered supports and the bottom; and aprime sole leather top conforming in contour to the glove-leatherbottom; said top and bottom being secured together at the edges bysuitable means.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles,California, this 20 11th day of March, 1914.

ELOF ANDERSON.

In presence of- JAMES R. TOWNsEND, L. BELLE WEAVER.

Copies of this patent may 'be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

